Each second child in Moldova says someone unknown asked him at least once to send online images of a sexual character. At the same time, 40% of these children will not tell anyone about this experience and only 9% will speak about the unpleasant situation with their parents, shows a study conducted by the International Center “La Strada” that was presented in a news conference on April 16, IPN reports.
Even if a study carried out four years ago showed the children’s increased interest in online activities, the study of 2021 reveals that this interest makes the children find themselves in situations in which they are not prepared as they do not have sufficient life skills. Even if nine in ten children make and regularly send films with themselves, four of these children don’t know how to modify the confidentiality settings on social networking sites, while each seventh child does not know what information can be published online and what information should not be told to anyone. The data show two in ten children aged 9 to 11 communicated online with unknown persons. Moreover, half of them admitted that they met with persons with whom they became acquainted online.
Elena Botezatu, director of the Children’s Program of “La Strada” Moldova, said the research was carried out because the pandemic made the children spend more time online. “More time online means more opportunities and also more risks if the child does not have the skills needed to navigate. One of the most serious challenges related to the safety of children on the Internet is to protect them from sexual abuse. During the past 12 months, the number of online sexual abuses reported by children rose by 50%. That’s why by this study we aimed especially to identify the risky online behaviors of children as these amplify their vulnerability to this type of abuse,” noted Elena Botezatu.
Besides analyzing the behavior of children online, the research aimed to study the socioeconomic profile of the respondents. The hypothesis of the specialists of “La Strada” shaped a direct dependence between the social environment from which the child comes, their relations with the family, school and community, on the one hand, and the level of the risk of online abuse, on the other hand, and the research confirmed this hypothesis.
The interviews also shaped the ‘virtual portrait’ of the child who is most vulnerable to abuse and sexual exploitation online. It goes to teens aged between 15 and 17 with a reduced social status who come from incomplete families, do not have parents or are left in the care of grandparents or other relatives. These children prefer not to speak to anyone about their situation and say that “at home I do not feel safe”. The girls and boys are equally vulnerable.
The study covered a sample of 3,829 children and consisted of 20 interviews with children aged between 9 and 17 from Chisinau and other settlements of Moldova, including Gagauzia.
